There is increased focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere, to help minimise the effects of global warming. Carbon dioxide sinks exist naturally, with the main naturally occurring sink being the ocean. Plants are also an effective form of carbon dioxide sink and use photosynthesis to remove carbon from the atmosphere by incorporating it into biomass. However, these naturally occurring sinks are not capable of effectively keeping up with the vast quantities of carbon dioxide being produced in today's power-thirsty climate.
The major source of harmful carbon dioxide gases are large fossil fuel power stations which, when fuelled by black coal, on average typically output around 0.8 to one tonne of the gas for each MegaWatt-hour (MWh) of electricity they generate. For example, a large power station such as the 2,640 MW Bayswater in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia, in generating 20 million MWh of electricity in a year, would also output 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. It would be advantageous if there was a system and method which was capable of capturing and permanently sequestering at least some of the carbon dioxide emitted from such power stations. It would also be advantageous if a system and method were provided for the disposition of the gas to be independently audited.